Injuries are the NFL's great equalizer. They test a team's depth, its ability to adjust and the psychological mettle of the players left behind.
And so as we enter Week 9, we'll watch the makeup of two more teams stressed in fundamental ways. How will the Tennessee Titans cope with losing the most important player in their offense, tailback Derrick Henry, to a foot injury that is likely to end his season? And can the New Orleans Saints stay afloat after quarterback Jameis Winston suffered a season-ending knee injury?
What follows is one reckoning of the most consequential injuries the NFL has seen so far this season. To be clear, it's not a list of the best players who have been hurt. If it were, players like Green Bay Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari would be on it. Bakhtiari is one of the league's top players at his position, and his ongoing recovery from an injury suffered in 2020 has required significant adjustments. But the Packers are 7-1 this season, and their offense is averaging 27 points per game since a Week 1 dud. Through good coaching and roster management, they've managed an exceptional outcome in his absence.
That hasn't been the case for other injuries, however, and it might not be true for either the Titans or Saints. We'll know more about them in a few weeks. For now, let's look closer at the injuries whose impact have already been felt.